The deed is finally done!

[Guest]

Ted, do you know if Dr.Rose uses lateral slits ?

[Teddw2ds]

Yes, he does. As you probably know, this gives the surgeon amazing control over the direction of growth, and yields a very natural appearance.

[Guest]

Thank's Teddw2ds,

I posted this question a few other places and no one had an answer, so thank's for the reply Ted.

[FoxLox]

Tedd-

 

Nice results! Congrats! Man, your head is looking good, but your heart is looking black - your poor brother (J/K). But seriously, you should be kind and give your brother some help and advice on his hair. Maybe Dr. Rose can make up a twin special or something like that. Once again, congrats on the great results.

 

Foxlox

[Teddw2ds]

Yeah, I kinda felt guilty about not telling my brother, but it makes for an absolutely fascinating comparison study!! LOL

 

I figure if it bothers him as much as it did me, he'll ask about it. I would feel really bad though if he shows up next Christmas with a really horrible Bosley or MHR job!!!

[FoxLox]

Well, at least you would know a good place to send him for some repair work.

 

Foxlox

[HairWeGo]

just send your brother in pretending its you and say the grafts didnt take. Get a freebie .

[Teddw2ds]

Hey guys

 

I know I haven't had any updates on here in a long time, but that's because there really wasn't anything new to report. It looked like my progress had peaked at about 6 months.

 

Now, though, inexplicably I am seeing several new sprouts throughout the transplant area. They are easy to identify because the transplanted hairs come in extremely curly at first, and the rest of my hair is as straight as a razor blade. I am now at about eight and a half months, and I have my first follow-up visit with Dr. Rose in about a month. I hope I continue to have even more hair to show off by that time!!

 

Tedd

[Teddw2ds]

Hey gang

 

I just got back from a follow-up visit with Dr. Rose, and just like me, he was happy with the results. Of course, being the perfectionist that he is, he suggested I might want FIT to fill in the scar area. I would only consider that if I thought about shaving my head (but why would I do that?), because even at a #2 blade, the scar is invisible.

 

He also said I may want to consider additional grats to thicken up the front 1/2 of my head. It is still a little thinner than I'd like, but certainly livable. My whole objective in doing this was to get a decent amount of coverage without using up my supply of donor hair. If (or when, more likely) I go back for another HT, it won't be for a couple of years at least, so that I can get a better idea of just how much donor hair I'll need to preserve.

 

I mentioned that I thought my density peaked at around 6 - 7 months. He did say, though, that I could still expect to see some additional density, as I am only about 9 months in.

 

All in all, the follow-up was pretty uneventful, primarily just because his work is doing exactly what it was meant to do... covering my previously bald area and showing almost no scarring in the back.

[Teddw2ds]

Hey, everybody

 

It's hard to believe it's been almost a year since I posted the last update, but it's primarily because little has changed.

 

Dr. Rose did say that I might still see some additional density increase even beyond 9 months, and that turned out to be true, although the increase was not significant. I could just see some of those tiny fine hairs starting to break through. For anyone who's had a HT, you know exactly what I'm talking about. They are easy to spot because they are super curly, whereas my normal texture is pin straight.

 

So, at a year and a half post-op, I still look in the mirror all the time and just stare in amazement at how my looks have transformed, and I am thrilled with the decision I made. With the transplant, in combination with finasteride, I have managed to maintain a great head of hair. I know it's only cosmetic and it shouldn't matter, but we all know it does matter. I look younger and feel more confident than I have in a long time. Thankfully, so far, there does not appear to be any need for another procedure, but when that day comes, I will not hesitate.

 

Peace, love and follicles for all!

 

Tedd

[mm]

Tedd

 

Congrats on your HT.

 

However, I thought Volcor1 had problems with his donor area after his surgery?

[Robert_]

Teddw2ds,

 

Thanks for the update. I know that many members come to the forums to see many, many pictures of immediate-post-op pictures and posts but not too many from members that are 1+ year post op. While the truth of the matter is that many hair transplant patients simply go on with their lives after their transplants have matured and they are satisfied with their results, it can be kind of discouraging for the "new guys" that want to be reassured that this type of surgery is, indeed, a permanent solution.

 

Your update will go to show that the results of a hair restoration procedure performed by a highly skilled physician can improve a person's outlook greatly.

 

Happy growing to you and enjoy that hair!

 

-Robert

[Teddw2ds]

mm

 

I don't recall for certain, but you may be correct about vocor1. As for me, I could not be more thrilled with my donor scar. I routinely buzz my hair down to a #2 guard (for those that don't know, that is SHORT!) and the scar is not detectable.

 

When trying to take photos for this site, I've had friends try to find it and they couldn't tell where it was in some places, even when actively looking for it.

 

Tedd

[gillenator]

Teddw2ds,

 

Every now and then I hear someone say "oh, a hair transplant is just being vain"! Yet it never seems to amaze me that the folks who state this are not suffering from hairloss. Even spouses, significant others, friends may just accept our hairloss and may imply that we hairloss sufferers are just overly concerned or even just being vain.

 

I could not disagree more. I remember years ago when I used to wear hair systems, my father used to tell me "there's nothing wrong with being bald, just be proud of your Irish heritage". Yet my dad had a full head of hair all his life, so thick and red that his nickname at work was "Red". I got so tired of him joking me that I was supposedly going through mid-life crisis that I finally pulled him in front of a mirror with my system off. I said to him "the difference between you and me" is that you still have what I lost. People do not stare at your forehead but they stare at mine! We were given hair by mother nature (avoiding any religious implications), so when we lose it, we experience a real sense of loss and it can be as tangible as a broken leg.

 

Now here's the kicker. Like Pat being a former Minnesotan and when I finally found the right talented surgeon (Dr. Ron Shapiro) and my first procedure grew in, I was freed from wearing the hair systems! I never told my dad about my HT with Dr. Shapiro but I did confide in my mother who suffers from hairloss for over 60 years now. BTW, my mother has been my best support through this dilemma. None of my siblings suffered from genetic hairloss.

 

I remember the holidays of 1996 and sitting next to my father at the dinner table. Out of nowhere he said "well what do you know you're hair is growing back". "It looks very nice". My ex-wife never knew I had the HT and she too thought my hair was growing back by some miraculous occurance.

 

Yeah, there was a miraculous occurance alright, I found Dr. Shapiro! I felt much better about myself even though I needed and wanted more done, I just could not afford it at the time. Since then I had two more procedures over the years and now am very happy with my coverage. Yet sometimes I think I still want more, I am just happy to have back a nicely restored look.

 

So is a HT really vanity or is it gaining back what once was lost? I guess that depends on who you ask, a person who never lost their hair or other hairloss sufferers like us.